Filling machine



May 1, 1951 MGIHON 2,551,033

FILLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 19, 1946 s Sheets-Sheet 1 May 1, 1951 FiledNov. 19, 1946 v L. M GIHON FILLING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented May1, 1951 2551.033 FILLING MACHINE Leonard McGihon, San Leandro, Calif.,assignor to King Sales-8a Engineering 00., San Fran-.. cisco, Calif acorporation of 'Califcrnia Application November 19, 1946, SeriaINo.710,813

- 1 The present invention relates to filling machines and is concernedmore particularly with the provision of an improved no-can-no-filldevice for such machines.

Inthe operation of filling machines it is customary to provide a controlto prevent opening of a filling valve or other filling device when thereis no can present to receive the material being filled. In accordancewith conventional procedure, these no-can-no-fill devices operate inresponse to each can as it is presented to the filling station so thatthe devices operate at the same rate as the rate of can feed duringnormal operations.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide anon-can-no-fill device for filling machines which will change itsadjustment only in response to an interruption in the can now or8'Olaims. (Cl. 22-6--.-80)

occupied can lift member.

can lift member which isin turn fo lowed byan' Referring to thedrawings, the fillingmachine includes a frame I (Figures 1 and 2) whichis broken away at the left. The frame ill carries a filling turret ii towhich cans are fed by means 1 of a feed star wheel i2 and suitablecooperating means including a rail l3 and from which cans the beginningof can now after an interruption.

Another object of the invention is to provide a no-can-no-fill devicewhich is operative to sense ahead of the actual can filling station todetermine whether or not the control condition of thenc-can-no-filldevice is to change.

Y ii'further object of the invention is to provide a device of the abovecharacter which is subject toccntrolfrom a plurality of can supportposts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be a parent from thefollowing description of a preferred embodiment thereof as illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a plan view of a filling machine embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the machine.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the machine taken as indicatedby the line 3-3 in Figure] l.

Fi ure 4' ice. fragmentary plan view of a filling valve taken asindicated by the line 4-4 in Figure 3. V

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a portionof a no-can-no-filldevice taken as indicated by the line 5-5 in Figure 2.

. ,Figure 6 is a schematic view of the no-can-nofill control means asviewed from the inside of the machine and showing the device inconnection with two empty can'lift members.

"Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 in which two occupied can liftmembers are shown.

Figure 8 is another schematic view showing an occupied can lift memberfollowed by an empty can lift member.

Figure 9 is another schematic view showing an occupied can lift memberfollowed by an empty are discharged by means including the star wheel [4and a rail 15. A drive unit i6 for the machine is connected in anysuitable manner to the star wheel 14 which is in turn eared to theturret II and the fee star wheel 12.

The filling'turret i I, asshown herein, is of the type to receive ovalcans commonly employed for sardines, and to complete the fill of thesecans with an appropriate amount of sauce to a desired head space withinthe can. The'turret includes a series of filling valves and cooperatingcan lift stations which are progressed past a "filling stadischarge tionfor opening the associated valve and then past a closing station whichcloses the valve after the filling operation is performed.

The filling turret includes a support and drive shaft 2| (Figures 1, 2and 3) which is 'journalled in a bearing member 22 carried on the frameI!) and in a lower bearing member 23 supported on the frame by meansincluding a frame bracket 24. Between the bearings 22 and 23 a drivegear 25 is keyed to the shaft2l. The shaft 2! has keyed thereto afilling table 26 having a plurality of bosses 2! around the periferythereof containing bearing supports -28 for a series of can lift members29. Eachcan lift member 29 includes an upper can support plate 29a and alower roller 2% which cooperates with a cam track 3| on the frame I0.The filling table 26. also carries a can positioning spider 32 having aseries of recesses 32a about the perifery for engagement by a can asshown, for example, in dotted lines at 33. in Figure 3.

The shaft 2| (Figures 1, 2 and3) at its upper end has secured thereon atank forcontaining the sauce to be filled and the tank includes a bottomwall 36 having a side wall 31 secured thereon. The bottom wall 36provides a support for a series-of similar filling valves, each fillingvalve including a center post 38 having a lower guide extension 3811seated in a cooperating recess in the bottom wall 36v of the tank. Atits upper end each post 38 is secured to avring 39-by means of clampingnuts 4|. Disposed about the center post 38 .is a valve sleeve 42 having.a pair of oppo..-.; site valve extensions 43"( Fi'gures 3 and: 4); in

roller 48 extending upwardly therefrom, while the other alternate pairof arms thereof carry rollers 49 extending downwardly therefrom. Therollers 48 comprise valve opening elements disposed in one plane, whilethe rollers 49 are valve closing elements disposed in another plane.

Each'filling valve mechanism also includes a can engaging head in theform of a plate 5| (Figures 3 and 4) which carries a resilient canengaging seal member 52 'in a shape conforming to the oval shape of thecan and a head space plate 53 within the outline of the seal member 52.The head plate 5| is provided with a pair of passages 54 aligned withthe passages 44 in the tank wall and also with corresponding passages inthe head-space plate 53 which lead to suitable grooves 55 in the bottomsurface thereof.

- To provide for vacuum filling of the cans, the

lower surface of the head plate 5| has a diagonal groove 56 therein toestablish communication between the central opening therein and the endportions of a can. Also, the guide extension 38aof each guide post 38has a passage 6| opening into a radial passage 62 in the bottom tankwall 36. The passage 62 opens upwardly into a counterbored aperture 63formed in a vacuum ring 84 secured on the tank wall 38. A cooperatingvacuum ring 66, is held against the ring 64 vby a plurality ofconventional presser'.

members 51 (Figures land 2). The ring 66 has a groove 85 for connectionsuccessively with the apertures 63 of the filling valves. As seen inFigure 1, the vacuum ring 66 has a connection 88 leading to a suitablesource of vacuum. and the. extent of the vacuum recess 65, as seeninFigure 1, is's'uchthat an appropriate vacuum is applied toa can beforea valve is opened.

The above-described mechanism is of conventionalconstruction and is ofthe character. disclosedin my co-pending application, Serial No;

ter is provided which is responsive to the presence of a container incooperation with a filling valve to cause adjustment of the fillingvalve from closed to open condition and which senses the presence orabsence of the next succeeding container, so that if an uninterruptedseries of containers-are presented to the filling stationno change inadjustment of any of the parts is requit-ed. '(lorrespondingly, if aseries of empty can supports are presented to the filling station, nochange in adjustment is required. As seen in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, atthe fillingioropening station. of the filling turret there is providedan arm 8|. pivoted at 82 in a suitable mounting: bracket 83 supported onthe frame liland spring urged upwardly by a compression spring 84surrounding a pull rod .86 guided in the bracket.

The pull rod 85 extends downwardly and is con-.

89 at its other end for-engagement by azrollerz9.l:.

4 supported coaxially with the roller 29b. Adjacent the roller 9| is acan lift depressing roller 92.

Referring to Figure 5, it will be noted that the no-can-no-fill controlarm 89 is of suflicient length that two rollers 9| of adjacent can liftmembers 29 are engaged therewith at the same time. Ihe arm 89.is sprinurged upwardly and the strength of the associated spring 84 is soselected that it can raise a can lift member 29 if the member isunoccupied so that the valve opening arm 8| will remain in its normaldotted line position shown in Figure 3 and the associated roller 48 willpass beneath the arm and the filling valve will not be opened.

However, when a can is interposed between the lift member 29 and'thevalve head 3|, a positive block is provided against further lifting ofthe can lift member 29 by the arm 89 and spring 84 so that the arm 89will be depressed and correspondingly the control arm 8| will also bedepressed and will occupy the full line position shown in Figure 3. As aresult, the roller 48 of the valve in active positionwill strike the arm8 and the valve will be rotated from closed to open condition. Becausethe can sensing arm 89 is of sufficient length to cooperatesimultaneously with two can lift members if the arm has been depressedby an occupied can lift member and the succeeding can lift member isalso occupied, the succeeding can lift member will continue to hold thearm 89 depressed after the first occupiedmember has moved out ofoperative relation thereto so that the condition of the no-can-nofilldevice will not be changed as long as an uninterrupted series ofoccupied can lift member's occurs. This condition is illustrated, forexample, in Figure 7. Figure 6 illustrates the condition inwhich aseriesof empty can lift members are presented and again the lever 89 does notchange its adjustment and the canlift members merely ride up over; thecontrol arm 89. H Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a condition in which; anempty can lift member rides on to the control arm 89 while it is stillheld down by an occupied can lift member,;.while Figure 9 illustratestheoperation which will take place a short time later when the occupied canlift member is riding off of the control arm so that it rides upwardlyin sensing the empty can lift member so that the valve opening arm 8|will be raised momentarily to allow passing thereunder of the controlroller 48 of the valve associated with the empty" can lift. member. VWhile I have shown a preferred embodiment; of the invention, it will beunderstood that the invention is capable of variation and modificationfrom the form shown so that its scope should be limited only by thescope of the claims appended hereto. ,1 j I claim: 1. In a fillingmachine; a filling station, means for presenting containers!successively to said" filling station including a' support for a"containeri in filling position and an adjacent support at the rear ofsaid first mentioned support forthe, nextsucceeding container tobefilled, a no-canno-fill device at said station; and :.control* means;therefor including means responsive to the presence or absence of acontainer on. said fillingposip tion support and also in cooperativerelation with said adjacent rear support forimmediate: response to thepresence or absence of a Conn tainer at said adjacent rear support uponremoval ofthe container from .the fillin Position support;

2. In a filling machine, a filling station, means for presentingcontainers successively to said filling station including a support fora container in filling position and an adjacent support at the rear ofsaid first mentioned support for the next succeeding container to befilled, a no-can-nofill device at said station, and control meanstherefor including means extending along said supports and responsive tothe presence or absence of a container on said filling position supportfor controlling said device and in cooperative relation for response tothe presence or absence of a container on said adjacent rear supportupon removal of the container from said filling position support.

3. In a filling machine, a filling turret having a series of fillingmechanisms thereon, a corresponding series of container supportsassociated with said filling mechanisms for receiving and presentingcontainers thereto, a station for controlling opening of a fillingmechanism passing thereby including a no-can-no-fill device, saidno-can-no-fill device having an operating arm for yieldably applying alift to said can supports and a normally ineffective mechanism operativeupon yielding of said arm for operating a related filling mechanism toopen condition, said arm being of a length to cooperate with twoadjacent can supports at the same time.

4. In a filling machine, a filling turret having a, series of fillingmechanisms thereon, a corresponding series of container supportsassociated with said filling mechanisms for receiving and presentingcontainers thereto, a station for effecting opening of a fillingmechanism passing thereby including a no-can-no-fill device, saidno-can-no-fill device having an operating arm extending along saidstation and of a length to cooperate with two adjacent can supports atthe same time, said operating arm being responsive to the presence orabsence of a container on a support at said station and in cooperativerelation to respond to the presence or absence of a container on thenext succeeding support upon removal of the first support from operativerelation with said arm.

5. In a filling machine, a filling turret having a series of fillingmechanisms thereon, a corresponding series of container supportsassociated with said filling mechanisms for receiving and presentingcontainers thereto, a station for effecting opening of a fillingmechanism passing thereby including a no-can-no-fill device, means atsaid station for lifting said supports to engage containers thereon withsaid filling mechanisms, said no-can-no-fill device having an operatingarm for yieldably applying a lift to said can supports in excess of thelift of said lifting means whereby said arm yields in response to acontainer on a support blocking further lifting of the support, and anormally ineffective mechanism for operating the filling mechanism toopen condition rendered efiective by yielding movement of said operatingarm, said arm being of a length to cooperate with two adjacent cansupports at the same time.

6. In a filling machine, a filling turret having a series of fillingmechanisms thereon, a corresponding series of container supportsassociated with said filling mechanisms for receiving and presentingcontainers thereto, a station for effecting opening of a fillingmechanism passing thereby including a no-can-no-fill device, means atsaid station for lifting said supports to engage containers thereon withsaid filling mechanisms, said no-can-no-fill device having yieldablemeans for applying a lift to said can supports in excess of the lift ofsaid lifting means whereby said means yields in response to a containeron a support blocking further lifting of the support, and a normallyineffective mechanism for operating the filling mechanism to opencondition rendered effective yielding movement of said yieldable means,said yieldable means being disposed in cooperative relation with tWoadjacent can supports at the same time.

7. In a filling machine, a filling station, means for moving containerssuccessively to said filling station including a support for a containerin filling position and an adjacent support at the rear of said firstmentioned support for the next succeeding container to be moved towardsaid filling station and be filled, a no-can-no-fill device at saidstation, and control means therefor including an elongated movablymounted control member cooperating with both said filling positonsupport and said adjacent rear support so as to be responsive to boththe presence or absence of a container on said filling position supportand to the presence or absence of a container on said rear support uponremoval of the container from the filling position support.

8. In a filling machine, a filling station, means for moving containerssuccessively to said filling station including a support for a containerin filling position and an adjacent support at the rear of said firstmentioned support for the next succeeding container to be moved towardsaid filling station and be filled, means for mounting said supports forup and down movement, a nocan-no-fill device at said station, andcontrol means therefor including an elongated pivotally mounted controlmember engageable with an element associated with each of said supportsfor cooperating with both said filling position support and saidadjacent rear support so as to be responsive to both the presence orabsence of a container on said filling position support and to thepresence or absence of a container on said rear support upon removal ofthe container from the filling position support.

LEONARD McGII-ION.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Holmquist May 1, 1923Number

